


Changes

by centaury_squill



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-01
Updated: 2013-02-01
Packaged: 2017-11-27 19:10:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/665445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/centaury_squill/pseuds/centaury_squill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus has a sudden change of Patronus. Harry wants to know why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [accioslash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/accioslash/gifts).



> Written for Secret Snarry Swap 2012.

Frowning down at the Ministry memo in his hand, Harry barely noticed the silvery Patronus which streaked past him as he walked along the corridor. Until, that is, it whisked into Draco Malfoy's office. Harry huffed. He'd love to know what combination of influence and Galleons had secured Malfoy his position as Head of Auror Training, and the plush office which went with it. While Harry himself, along with Ron and the other Aurors who did the actual _work_ , were all crammed into one none too large office, amateurishly divided into cubicles. Harry walked a little faster, hoping to identify the Patronus before it vanished, but was thwarted by Malfoy stepping out of his office and closing the door.

"Out of the way, Potter," Malfoy drawled self-importantly. "Severus needs me; there's been an accident in the Auror training room."

"Severus?" Harry repeated stupidly. "Severus _Snape_?" 

"How many others do you know, Potter? Of course Severus Snape. I've hired him as a consultant for DADA Auror Training."

"But that wasn't Severus' Patronus!" Harry blurted. "His is a doe."

"His Patronus has changed, Potter," Malfoy said in a bored tone, pushing past Harry on his way to the lifts. "Obviously he wouldn't still want it to be a doe once he discovered yours was a stag," he added maliciously, stepping into an open lift and pressing the button for Level 3. The doors slammed shut and the lift juddered away, leaving Harry glaring after it, his mind full of unwelcome thoughts.

*

"So what's his Patronus now?" asked Ron.

"I'm not sure," Harry said, "I only caught a glimpse of it. Some sort of, I dunno, weasel? Only big." He scowled down at his plate, and not only because the Ministry canteen food was such crap. 

Ron gave Harry a surprisingly sympathetic look. "You should just ask him, mate. You are going out with him now, right?"

Harry pushed a few peas around with his fork. "Sort of, yeah. But it's... complicated." He dropped his knife and fork, pushed his plate away. "Remind me to bring sandwiches tomorrow."

Ron laughed. "It's all Hermione's fault, getting the Ministry house-elves stirred up about house-elf rights. Their meals have been going downhill ever since." 

"I didn't think the house-elves _wanted_ any rights."

"They don't, that's why they're so angry." Ron pushed his own plate away. "I think I'll bring sandwiches tomorrow, too. Or maybe we could pop out to the pub for a pie and a pint?"

"Whatever," Harry muttered. He was still scowling.

"You aren't really worried about Snape's Patronus, are you?" asked Ron.

"No, of course not," Harry said quickly. Then he spoilt it by adding, "You don't think his new one could be a ferret, do you?"

Ron shrugged. "What would it matter if it was?"

Harry looked uncomfortable. "Well... remember in our fourth year, when Mad-Eye – well, Barty Crouch really – turned Malfoy into a white ferret?"

Ron's eyes went misty. "Ah, yes. I'll never forget. Brilliant, that was. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret." He savoured the thought for a long moment, then sighed, pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. "Come on, mate, we'd better get back to work." 

On the way back to their office Harry was quietly brooding. As they got out of the lift, he burst out, "Don't you see, Ron, when Tonks fell for Remus, her Patronus turned into a wolf. If Severus' Patronus has turned into a ferret –" He broke off, unable to voice his deepest fear.

Ron snorted and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, mate; even Severus Snape wouldn't fall for Draco Malfoy."

Neither of them noticed that Malfoy's office door was slightly open.

*

A long, boring day of paperwork was inching towards its end. In the cubicle next to Harry's, Ron could hear his quill scratching slowly over parchment, punctuated by long silences and the occasional sigh. At last Ron could stand it no longer. He stood up, rested his arms on the top of the chest-high partition, and scowled down at his friend.

"Look, if you're that bothered about Snape's Patronus, why don't you send yours with a message to him? Then he'll send his back with his reply, and you can give it a good inspection."

Harry dropped his quill and stared up at his friend, eyes wide.

"Ron, I don't often say this, but you are BRILLIANT!"

He pulled out his wand and thought happily of his last date with Severus (it had gone well, for once, without either of them hexing the other, and had ended with a passionate kiss).

"Expecto Patronum!"

The silver stag burst from the tip of Harry's wand.

"Take a message to Severus Snape," Harry told it, "ask him if he'd like to have dinner with me tonight, and where he wants to go."

The stag dipped its head obediently and cantered away. Harry returned to filling in a boring form, keeping an eye out for Severus' reply. What arrived at his desk, however, wasn't the silvery, insubstantial figure of a Patronus, but the all too solid, and entirely unwelcome, form of Draco Malfoy. 

"Good Merlin, Potter, is this what you call an _office_?" Malfoy's tone dripped condescending scorn.

Harry glared at him. "What do _you_ want?"

"Oh, I happened to be passing," Malfoy said airily, "and Severus asked if I'd mind letting you know he's busy tonight. So am I, as it happens." He tapped his pointy nose with his forefinger. "If you know what I mean."

And he strolled off, smirking, leaving Harry spluttering with jealous rage.

*

Several days passed before Harry next saw Severus, days in which he brooded over the significance of Patronus changes, and growled whenever he saw Draco Malfoy in the corridors at the Ministry of Magic. For his part, Malfoy seemed to take delight in needling Harry, dropping hints that he was spending a lot of time with Severus and that the latter had forgotten that Harry even existed. So when Harry stepped into the lift on his way home one evening, he was furious to see Malfoy and Severus already there, heads together, deep in earnest discussion. Harry jabbed fiercely at the button for the Atrium floor.

"Careful, Potter," Malfoy drawled, "those buttons are _delicate_."

Trying his best to ignore the pointy-nosed creep, Harry looked appealingly at Severus, who seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

"I heard about this good restaurant the other day," he said, "would you like me to book us a table one night next week?"

Severus finally looked back at Harry, his face unreadable. "I'm afraid my time is rather spoken for at the moment, perhaps you –"

The lift doors folded noisily back, drowning the rest of his sentence.

"This is our floor, Severus," Malfoy said, "excuse us, won't you Potter, those of us with important work to do can't dash off on the stroke of five like the plebs."

Fuming, Harry watched Malfoy ostentatiously take Severus' arm as they walked away along the corridor. What had Severus been going to say? Perhaps you – what? Perhaps you should go with someone else? Find another boyfriend? Forget about me, I'm shagging ferret-face Malfoy?

Harry viciously kicked out at the lift gates, wishing they were Malfoy's arse.

*

The next morning Ron was busy writing up a long overdue report, wishing that Hermione was there to help him, when Harry arrived and stood mutely by his desk. Ron looked up, took in his friend's expression, and winced.

"What's wrong, mate?"

"Severus," Harry groaned, leaning against Ron's desk. "I happened to run into him last night, but Malfoy was all over him like a rash, so I dropped by the DADA training room this morning to have a word." He didn't say anything about the hour he'd spent lurking in the corridor until Snape had arrived.

"Did you ask him about his Patronus?" 

"Yeah..." Harry ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it messier than ever. "He admitted his Patronus had changed, but he was very cagey about it. I thought he seemed a bit embarrassed."

"Oh?" Ron couldn't imagine Snape being embarrassed.

"All he'd say was, it's his life now and he wants no reminders of the past."

"And did you ask him out again?" 

"Er, no." Harry bit his lip. "I-I stormed off. I remembered Malfoy saying Severus didn't want his Patronus to be a doe once he found out mine was a stag, so..." his voice tailed off unhappily.

"That's rubbish," Ron said firmly. "Snape's known what your Patronus is since third year. Shit, the whole _school_ knew." He put his hand on Harry's arm. "I think you could do better than the greasy git, Harry, but Malfoy's just winding you up."

"Um, maybe," Harry said, "but –"

"ATTENTION!" 

Kingsley's magically amplified voice boomed out, filling the room with urgency. 

"DEMENTOR ATTACK! POTTER AND WEASLEY, WITH ME!"

Harry snatched out his wand and ran forward, closely followed by Ron, all thoughts of Severus Snape temporarily forgotten.

*

The three of them Apparated to the remote hamlet where the reported Dementor attack was taking place. Dementors had, in the main, disappeared after the Ministry had stopped using them for Azkaban guards, but isolated nests of them did still exist, preying on Muggles and wizards alike. Normally two or three Aurors were all it took to beat them back, but in this case Kingsley, Harry and Ron soon discovered they were hopelessly outnumbered.

"The buggers must've been breeding again," Kingsley growled. "Do what you can, lads, while I send my Patronus for help."

Ron's terrier and Harry's stag battled the Dementors, while Kingsley's lynx sped off into the thickening mist. The few wizards who lived in the hamlet did their best to help, but none were very powerful, and only one could summon a corporeal Patronus. 

Harry was having to struggle to keep his stag fighting. It started to thin, becoming more and more insubstantial, as waves of depression rolled over him. What was the point? He'd thought Severus was starting to return his feelings, but now it was obvious Harry had just been a temporary diversion; Severus had found his true soul mate in Draco Malfoy...

"Harry!!!"

Ron's panicked shout roused him from his misery just in time; his stag had all but disappeared, and a Dementor was reaching its bony fingers towards him, a sinister rattling noise coming from under its hood. Harry backed slowly away, feeling as if he were wading through deep, cold, viscous mud. It was so hard, raising his wand arm. He couldn't summon up a single happy memory. The Dementor was reaching for him again, and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it.

With a sudden blur of silver, a large animal bounded in front of him, swearing loudly in Snape's voice.

"Fuck off, you fucking wankers, you leave my Harry alone, you cunts."

The Dementor shrank back, turned and fled. Ron's terrier pursued it, yapping at its heels; the newcomer, now joined by Kingsley's lynx, charged the remaining Dementors and put them to flight.

Harry, mouth open, turned to Ron, who was cracking up with laughter.

"What was _that_?"

"S-s-nape's Patronus," Ron spluttered between howls of laughter. "Not a ferret, Harry. A _Jarvey_."

*

"But why didn't you just _tell_ me what your new Patronus was?" Harry asked, his words rather muffled around a mouthful of cock.

Severus moaned. "I was – _ahhhh_ , don't stop – embarrassed by it, Harry."

He clutched Harry's hair, thrust wildly into his mouth. "Oh, Merlin, _yes_."

Harry hummed delightedly, taking all Severus could give him, wordlessly begging for more. It didn't take long; soon he was rewarded with a warm gush of salty, slightly bitter fluid hitting the back of his throat. He relaxed, gulping it down, milking Severus for every last drop. At last he let his lover's now soft cock drop out of his mouth and returned to the attack.

"But why a Jarvey, for Merlin's sake?" 

Severus gave a low, lazy chuckle. "I was rather surprised by it, myself." He roused himself enough to take Harry's cock in his hand and give it long, slow, leisurely strokes as he spoke. "As I told you, I wanted to put my past behind me – no more reminders of old loves, old obligations. I was... in rather a belligerent mood, I suppose. I put a sudden burst of bad-tempered magic into transforming my Patronus – and the Jarvey was the result." He chuckled again. "Very unexpected, and it does seem more... _autonomous_ than the usual Patronus. I may stop using it to send messages altogether, it does tend to... _embellish_ them, rather."

Remembering the words Severus' Jarvey had shouted out as it drove the Dementor off him, Harry grinned in amusement. His toes curling, his cock growing ever harder under Severus' ministrations, he only just remembered one more thing he needed to ask.

"Malfoy..." He was finding it hard to concentrate, with Severus' thumb caressing his cock head _just so_ , his fingers alternately tightening and relaxing around his shaft. "...Malfoy said... _fuck, that's so good_... he said... implied... you and him were an item."

"We are not," Severus murmured, moving his other hand round to cup and roll Harry's balls in their sack. "Never have been, never will be. It's only you for me now, Harry." He looked momentarily startled, then smiled.

"Ron told me Malfoy was winding me up," Harry said, a deep contentment flooding him. His cock jerked violently under Severus' hand, taking on a life of its own.

"I agree with Mr Weasley," Severus said, bending his head to lick up Harry's come. He glanced up into Harry's brilliant green gaze, adding quietly, "And that's another thing I thought I'd never say."

\- fin -


End file.
